Northern Ireland

MOT delays: Calls for clarification after motorists ‘fined’ £80 for not taxing car on time and declaring car ‘off the road’ while waiting test

Some drivers are facing demands from a British debt collection company

A vehicle during its MOT test (PA)
Some drivers are facing demands from a British debt collection company for the money for failing to declare their car SORN
By Suzanne McGonagle

There are calls for clarification as some motorists in Northern Ireland are being asked to pay an £80 fine for not declaring their car ‘off the road’ if they didn’t tax on time while waiting for overdue MOT tests.

Some drivers are facing demands from a British debt collection company for failing to pay car tax on time - or declare their car SORN (statutory off road notification).

It comes despite the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) saying the PSNI has “agreed not to penalise drivers whose MOT has expired so long as your vehicle is in a roadworthy and safe condition and doesn’t have a statutory off-road notification (SORN) declaration”.

Vehicles over four-year’s-old must be tested every year and cannot pay their annual road tax without a valid test certificate.

But a backlog from the Covid-19 pandemic, cracks in testing centre lifts and the delayed completion of two new testing centres have all contributed to long waiting times.

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One motorist said she was being “aggressively bombarded by texts, letters and calls” from a company acting for the DVLA demanding payment of a fine for not taxing her car on time.

She said the debt agency was demanding £80.

The woman, who does not want to be identified, said she had written to the DVA in Swansea to complain.

“They told me that the fine stands saying the car should have been declared SORN in the interim,” she said.

“I am refusing to pay it, the fine should be waived. It’s not my fault I was unable to get my MoT on time. We need clarity on what the situation is.”

Some motorists are waiting months for a test date
Some motorists are waiting months for a test date (Liam McBurney/PA)

When asked a DfI spokeswoman said those waiting MOTs will not be penalised as long as the car is not SORN.

She said that any motorists’ whose tax has expired, or is due to, should complete the short notice appointment request form (available via NI Direct) for an urgent appointment.

“The PSNI has agreed not to penalise drivers whose MOT has expired so long as your vehicle is in a roadworthy and safe condition and doesn’t have a SORN declaration; your vehicle is properly insured and; you can prove that a test appointment has been booked.”